<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Game 4</span>April 29, 2007 on 3:30 PM EST12:30 PM PSTPhoenix leads the series 2-1 PG: Jordan Farmar - 4.4 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.7 RPG, .61 SPGSG: Kobe Bryant - 31.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.44 SPGSF: Luke Walton - 11.4 PPG, 4.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.00 SPGPF: Lamar Odom - 15.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, 9.8 RPG, .95 SPGC: Kwame Brown - 8.4 PPG, 1.8 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG PG: Steve Nash - 18.6 PPG, 11.6 APG, 3.5 RPG, 0.75 SPGSG: Raja Bell - 14.7 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.2 RPG, 0.64 SPGSF: James Jones - 6.4 PPG, 0.6 APG, 2.3 RPG, 0.55 BPGPF: Shawn Marion - 17.5 PPG, 1.7 APG, 9.8 RPG, 1.95 SPG, 1.53 BPGC: Amare Stoudemire - 24.0 PPG, 1.0 APG, 9.6 RPG, 1.34 BPG<u>Los Angeles Key Players Off Bench</u>Maurice Evans - 8.4 PPG, 1.0 APG, 2.9 RPG, 0.5 SPGRonny Turiaf - 5.3 PPG, 0.9 APG, 3.6 RPG, 0.9 SPGVladimir Radmanovic - 6.6 PPG, 1.2 APG, 3.3 RPGBrian Cook - 6.9 PPG, 1.0 APG, 3.3 RPGAndrew Bynum - 7.8 PPG, 1.1 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.56 BPG<u>Phoenix Key Players Off Bench</u>Leandro Barbosa - 18.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.7 RPG, 1.2 SPGBoris Diaw - 9.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.3 RPGKurt Thomas - 4.6 PPG, 0.4 APG, 5.7 RPG<u>Key Matchup</u>May 3, 2006. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers. NBA Playoffs. Game 6. This is what it's all about. Raja Bell commits a very hard foul on Kobe Bryant grabbing him by the neck and throwing him onto the floor. Ejection. Suspension. A new rivalry is born. After this, I think Kobe Bryant really wants redemption on Raja Bell and the Phoenix Suns. This matchup is going to be key because not only is Kobe going to have to step up on the offensive end but Raja Bell is going to have to contain him and not make any stupid fouls taking himself out of the game and forcing one of the bench players to play Kobe, the most explosive scorer in the NBA. This matchup will not only be key in Game-1 but through the entire series. Can Kobe get hot and can he be stopped? That's the question.<u>Los Angeles X-Factor</u>Lamar OdomLamar really needs to be aggressive offensively. He's going to most likely be defended by one of the best defenders in the league, Shawn Marion. He needs to take advantage of the height advantage he has on Marion (Nearly 3 inches) and be aggressive like he was last year. He needs to be efficiant and make most of his shots, to take the pressure off of Kobe.<u>Phoenix X-Factor</u>Raja BellRaja needs to play very tough defense on Kobe and get in his face. He needs to limit Kobe's shots and make him hit tough shots. If Kobe shoots less than 40% because of the amount of shots he takes, the Suns are able to win this game with their fast paced offense. Bell just needs to contain Kobe because Kobe can't be stopped but he can be contained.<u>Los Angeles Injuries</u>None<u>Phoenix Suns Injuries</u>None------------------------------------------------------------Game 3 Recap - Lakers 95 - Suns 89After the humiliation that was Game 2 of their playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers fell behind by 17 points early in Game 3. At that stage, with the home crowd booing, Lakers star Kobe Bryant figured there were two directions his team could take. "You can put your tail between your legs or come back fighting,'' he said. The Lakers went with option No. 2. Bryant scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Kwame Brown added a career playoff-high 19 points, and the Lakers beat the Suns 95-89 to cut Phoenix's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. "It was effort,'' Bryant said after the Lakers won by scoring the game's last six points. "You can go over execution and X's and O's all you want. What you have to have is effort.'' Brown, hampered by a sprained left ankle for nearly four months, scored eight more points than his combined total in the first two games. "He played well from the beginning of the game,'' Bryant said. "He didn't get discouraged when he didn't finish plays.'' Brown looked like he might be finished in this game when he rolled his right ankle with 4+ minutes left in the third quarter. But not only did Brown stay in the game, he scored nine points during the remainder of the period. "I was like 'Oh no, not again.' But it's OK,'' Brown said. "It's swelling up a little bit, but I'll be OK.'' Game 4 will be played Sunday at Staples Center, with the fifth game Wednesday night in Phoenix, where the Suns embarrassed the Lakers 126-98 in Game 2. Bryant scored only 15 points in that game after getting 39 in the opener, although he shot 1-of-10 in the final period of a 95-87 loss. He was much better in the fourth quarter of this game, shooting 5-of-11 to finish 15-of-26, and added four foul shots in as many attempts. The odds remain against the Lakers, since only 11 of 193 teams in NBA history have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. But an NBA team has never won a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games, so this was a victory they had to have. "We still have the pressure on us,'' Brown said. Bryant added six rebounds and six assists, and Lamar Odom had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Leandro Barbosa scored 20 points, Steve Nash had 10 points and 13 assists and Shawn Marion also scored 10 points for Phoenix.<u>Next 3 Games</u> Game 5: Wed., May 2 @ PHX, TBDGame 6: Fri., May 4 @ LAL, TBD**Game 7: Sun., May 6 @ PHX, TBD**** - if neccessaryThoughts and predictions on the game and series?
I have to be honest..I didn't get to watch enough of game 3 to make a write up (nodded off) so I just used the recap from NBA.com
I would say that the Suns win this one and then take game 5. Nash and co. will not let themselves play from behind for most of the game. Kobe can't be contained unless he's on the bench which is usually when Phoenix takes over. Sorry Lakers.
Good game for us so far. Our offense has been very good. Amare's man-to-man D against Kwame has not been good, but he's grabbing a bunch of rebounds and is scoring pretty easily. We need this game.Is it just me or has Nash's shot looked off this series?
Nash and Amare are playing amazing right now, and on the other hand Diaw is doing nothing. I wonder what happened to Kwame.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Milgod @ Apr 29 2007, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>15 assists in the first half? Not bad, not bad at all.</div>Very impressive. Steve Nash showcasing his tremendous passing ability. 7 point lead for the Suns at the half. We could definitely cut that, we just have to have the same if not more intensity and keep at it. Lamar needs to be more aggressive and Kobe needs to be Kobe down the stretch. This is a very big game for the Lakers...we'll see what happens. :dribble:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Milgod @ Apr 29 2007, 04:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>15 assists in the first half? Not bad, not bad at all.</div>Yeah I would say thats a pretty good first half. Kidd had 14 in the first half the other night .
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Milgod @ Apr 29 2007, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>15 assists in the first half? Not bad, not bad at all.</div>That was awesome, he's trying to pass Jason Kidd for assists in the playoffs. I was hoping he'd get one more, but they covered him well on the last play. Shooting the same huh? I guess after late last year I was just worried about him again. It just seems like his 3-pointers aren't going down like they were before.
Nash has been absolutely outstanding, Amare has been pretty dominant down low, and Kobe has been Kobe. But I'm happy to see Kwame have another effective half on the offensive end. He's struggling defensively with Amare, like anybody does, but offensively he has produced and it's great to see him follow up nicely on his excellent Game 3. In this second half, ODOM NEEDS TO ATTACK MORE!!! God damn, I have to say that almost every time I watch the Lakers. Come on, Lamar.
Wow. We have come out of halftime flat as hell. We need a basket bad. :no1:EDIT: Rebounding is huge as well and we need to play better defense on the pick and rolls.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Apr 29 2007, 05:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>In this second half, ODOM NEEDS TO ATTACK MORE!!!</div> There you go, Lamar! He has been aggressive in the last few minutes, he has gone to the basket, he has gotten to the line, and he has pumped up this crowd. This is the Lamar Odom we should be seeing every night, he's an All-Star talent. EDIT: Wow, the momentum has shifted Phoenix's way in a blink of an eye.
Diaw is looking terrible. I don't know what got into him. It's like everything he worked on and improved last year disappeared...Nash may break the record. His chances are pretty good.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Apr 29 2007, 05:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Diaw is looking terrible. I don't know what got into him. It's like everything he worked on and improved last year disappeared... Nash may break the record. His chances are pretty good.</div> Diaw looked better than he actually is last year because of the excessive amount of touches he received due to Amare being out all year (except 2 games). Nash makes everybody look better than they actually are, Diaw is a classic case of that. Diaw got his big contract and there is no surprise that he hasn't had a very good year. EDIT: Yes, I hope Nash breaks the record. That'd be awesome. He's 4 away from tying right?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Apr 29 2007, 05:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Diaw is looking terrible. I don't know what got into him. It's like everything he worked on and improved last year disappeared...Nash may break the record. His chances are pretty good.</div>Amare is back, thats what got into him. But I think the Suns rather have Diaw struggling then Amare struggling. Amare has 25 points I think and 19 rebounds.
YesBut that's not it about Diaw. He was just a better player. He was more aggressive. He wasn't assisted by Nash that much, but he actually went to the basket and created for himself in the playoffs he didn't pass up the open shots. Now he's acting like me, afraid of any type of contact. I want to barf sometimes watching him play.
